Death March
"Death March" is the 18th episode of Falling Skies and the eighth episode of the second season. It was written by Heather V. Regnier and helmed by new director viewers. Plot Synopsis The 2nd Mass pushes on to Charleston. Weaver learns more about Tector’s background from before the invasion. Hal learns about Maggie's dark past. Plot As the convoy continues on its trek to Charleston, Tom reminisces about letting Ben leave the group. Matt asks him to hang onto a will he just wrote out, assuring him that no one is going to die, Tom comforts the boy telling him they’ll reach their destination soon. Meanwhile at the front of the convoy, Tector rides with Weaver, Weaver intent on figuring out what he can’t put his finger on about Tector. In an advanced scouting truck, Hal tries to prove that he can be a dark person to Maggie, who cheerfully chides him as they ward off Pope’s crass humor from the flatbed of the vehicle. Meanwhile Weaver sees through Tector’s simple country boy facade to realize that Tector must have been in the military, and as he explains why that would damage their trust something dives into the path of the truck! The convoy stops to find that they’ve hit a little harnessed girl, the impact having apparently disabled the harness. Thankfully, she’s only unconscious as the group reluctantly agrees to take her in. Just then, she wakes and asks for her brother Tyler, though no one knows what she means Up ahead, Hal and Maggie’s truck begins to overheat, and Pope directs them toward a nearby river. Tom wonders over the little, slowly mutating girl, what the world will do with the millions of harnessed children if the Skitters should ever leave the planet, but Anne assures him that they’d find ways to adjust. Apprehensive about her appearance, Matt pays a visit to the girl, now calling herself Jenny, whose ravenous hunger has returned after so much time spent harnessed. Hal and Maggie’s truck comes to a halt, and Pope inspects the engine to determine that the radiator hose has a leak. After sending Hal off to retrieve the water, Pope tersely questions Maggie over what she plans to tell Hal about her dark past. She counters that very little good comes from digging up the past, but pope challenges her to sack up and tell the truth. Meanwhile back at the convoy, Matt lets slip to the girl their plans to go to Charleston, despite her eerie insistence that she loves her Skitter “Guardian,” and misses her equally scaly “brother.” Matt begs her to come to Charleston with them, where he suggests they too could be a family, and she says “maybe.” Just then, she senses her brother Tyler’s presence, and we see the scaly tyke clinging to the bus. The creature soon disappears, and the group agrees to keep moving. Back on the road, Maggie seems distant, and Hal’s prodding leads her to finally tell her story. Sure, she was in the hospital a few years ago, but what she never previously told anyone was that she became a heroin addict afterward, who turned to breaking into homes with her boyfriend for things to sell. When she got caught and sent to prison, she discovered she was 3 months pregnant. She carried the baby to term, but never saw him after that. With little word from Maggie or Hal, the group makes a decision about the best road to Charleston, but suddenly “Tyler” appears once more looking for his sister Jenny. Her harness reactivates, and she easily breaks her restraints, and overpowers anyone in her path, fleeing into the woods. When Matt comes too, Tom comforts his son by assuring him that Ben won’t abandon them for the skitters permanently. Down the hall, Lourdes snaps at Anne when the patient she’d been treating dies on the table. Hal and Maggie reason that they should catch up to the group soon, when all of a sudden their truck is surrounded by blinding lights. Back with the 2nd Mass. Tector comes clean to Weaver that he doesn’t want to stay in Charleston knowing how he’d failed as a Marine, getting his squad ambushed and failing to protect Boone the other week. Weaver assures him that the deaths weren’t his fault, as Tector slams on the brakes, arriving at a destroyed Charleston. The 2nd Mass stares out at the ruins of the city and their dreams in tears. After seeing the destruction of Charleston, Tom loses hope while Anne does her best to comfort him. Spurred on by Tector, Weaver gives a rallying speech about how the 2nd Mass will move on and build the society they expected to find in Charleston. As the 2nd Mass prepares to roll out, they hear a noise in the woods and soldiers from the 1st Continental Army emerge. To Weaver and Tom's shock, the soldiers are led by Colonel Jim Porter, the former leader of the Massachusetts Militia who was believed to be dead before the First Assault on Boston. Porter gives Weaver real strawberries and tells Tom that there is a legend building around him now. Porter reveals that he has come from Charleston which is more than meets the eye. Hal, Maggie and Pope arrive as well, having run into Porter's patrol while trying to catch up with the 2nd Mass. The reunited Mason family express faith they will see Ben again and prepare to finally go to Charleston. Other Cast Co-Starring * Olivia Steele-Falconer as Jenny Uncredited * Jon Johnson as Jon * D Harlan Cutshall as Butterfield * Nico Amoroso as Nico * Zack Daniels as Zack * Aaron Harrison as Jimmy Vegas * Edwin Rodriguez as Wounded Man * Unknown as Tyler Deaths * Wounded Man Significant Events *The 2nd Mass makes a non-stop push onto Charleston low on supplies and morale. *Hal, Maggie and John Pope perform an advance scout for the convoy. During the trip, their truck breaks down and Hal retrieves water while Pope repairs the engine. Pope pushes Maggie to reveal the full details of her dark past to Hal who she has a growing relationship with. *After fixing the truck, Maggie reveals the rest of her past to Hal: following her cancer treatments, Maggie became a drug addict, resulting in her committing robberies and spending three years in prison. While in prison, she gave birth to a baby boy she never saw again. Hal is stunned by the truth of Maggie's past and asks for time to process the information. *As Hal, Maggie and Pope press on, having fallen behind the convoy, they are suddenly ambushed by an unknown force. *Riding with Tector, Captain Daniel Weaver attempts to figure out his past. Weaver eventually realizes that Tector is an ex-Marine with sniper training. Tector eventually admits that he was a Gunnery Sergeant and blames himself for the deaths of his men in an ambush in Afghanistan. Tector announces plans to leave the 2nd Mass once they reach Charleston, blaming himself for the death of Boon. *Weaver reveals to Tector that following the Battle of Fitchburg, he nearly left the 2nd Mass out of guilt over the deaths suffered that day but realized he was needed too much as a leader for the first time. *During the drive, Tector accidentally hits a young girl named Jenny. Jenny is harnessed and partially mutated into a Skitter. The hit damages her harness and restores Jenny's human personality. *Jenny bonds with Matt Mason and expresses grief at the death of her "Guardian" Skitter at the hands of humans. As the convoy travels, they are beset by Tyler, Jenny's "brother" who has apparently been mutated into a full Skitter. Jenny eventually runs off to join Tyler, leaving Matt with fears that Ben will prefer the Rebel Skitters over his family. *Following the death of Jamil Dexter, Lourdes Delgado continues to experience depression and anger. Following the death of a patient, Lourdes lashes out at Anne though they later reconcile. *The convoy finally arrives at Charleston to find the city destroyed. After being convinced by Tector to step up, Weaver gives a rallying speech to the 2nd Mass about building for themselves the society they expected to find in Charleston. *As the convoy prepares to head out, they are approached by members of the 1st Continental Army led by Colonel Jim Porter who had been believed dead since before the failed First Assault on Boston. Porter reveals that the society they were looking for in Charleston exists and that Charleston is more than meets the eye. *The Mason family reunites, Hal, Pope and Maggie having been found by Porter and his men. The family expresses hope that they will be reunited with Ben soon and hope for what the future brings in Charleston. *While talking with Tom, Porter reveals that a legend has developed around Tom about his actions. Trivia *The plotline with the harnessed girl they pick up is never brought up again in Season 2. *This episode is what people in TV production call a "bottle episode" - an episode using a minimal number of sets, locations, and special effects to save production costs for a different episode. "Mutiny" in season one was much the same idea. Note how almost the entire episode takes place at night in vehicles, allowing them to film in the vehicles on a soundstage, which is a lot cheaper than taking the production out on location. The only real special effects needed are the girl's brother (only seen through the window), and the very end of the episode where they are outside and arrive in Charleston. *The 2nd Mass' GTO, seen since the first episode and briefly wrecked in "Eight Hours" is once more wrecked. This time, the car suffers a broken axle and is abandoned. Category:Season 2 Category:Season 2 Episode Category:Episodes